It’s the final stretch of campaigning across the Commonwealth before the November eighth general election. Electioneering too close to voting locations can be a concern. Kentucky’s current law calls for a 100-foot buffer area at voting precincts. Fayette County Clerk Don Blevins favors extending that distance requirement. He said a compromise might be to prohibit electioneering on the property of voting locations.
“Ignore the footage, just talk about property. I don’t know if that will pass constitutional muster, but I offer that as a possible solution. That way, if it’s a school, you’ve got a pretty good buffer from having to hear somebody accost you about a particular candidate,” said Blevins.
The county clerk said there are constitutional protections against banning electioneering entirely.
Lexington’s Senior Center will be the location for three days of early voting just prior to Election Day. Don Blevins noted the downtown Civic Center and UK’s Kroger Field were not available. Blevins added he doesn’t foresee the voter turnout being high enough to overwhelm the Senior Center off Richmond Road.
“But, I would encourage voters who are able to vote on Election Day to please do so and leave the Senior Center for folks like our doctors and nurses who have to work on Election Day for perhaps a 12-hour shift. It’s a really nice convenient option for those kinds of people, if we preserve it for them,” said Blevins.
Still, Blevins anticipates the two constitutional amendments, one on the issue of abortion and the other on legislative authority for special sessions, to draw a lot of voters. He said predicting voter turnout is difficult this election. In-person absentee voting without an excuse begins this Wednesday at the county clerk’s office downtown. Tuesday at midnight is the deadline for requesting mail-in absentee ballots.
